February 5, 2014

I woke up to -12ºF... with a wind chill of around -25ºF.  That's Minnesota weather!!!  After going around the horn about this with many friends, and numerous PM's to me about how I should be careful about freezing body parts, I decided to paint with acrylics today.  Since acrylics freeze, it meant that I would have to accept a day painting from my van.  Not because of the cold, of course, but because of the medium?  Ok... I admit to giving in to the day.  But that's the last one.  It's way too uncomfortable to spend a day painting inside a vehicle.  It's cramped, it's hard to find a place to park where there's something interesting to paint, that I can get a good view point to paint it from, and it's just not right! ;)

Truthfully, I tried it outside and after about 5 minutes, it got cold fast.  Good news for me is that on Friday it's going to hit 38º and by the following Friday, 48º!  Can't wait.

More coyotes out and about today.  They're so gorgeous this time of year, thick winter coats and the acuteness of an eagle while on patrol for a lunch morsel.  My admiration for these animals is growing daily.

2-5-1 "Cement Plant" - acrylic - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-5-2 "Flood" - acrylic - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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This painting is of what was a pasture, until last September's flood.  This area that you are looking at was about 5' underwater during it all.  Entire acreage's were eroded and wiped away.  I painted this area a number of times prior to the flood, this was a very peaceful, pastoral field.  Now it looks like a mini Grand Canyon.  

2-5-3 "Muted Compliments" - acrylic - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-5-4 "Sundown" - acrylic - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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February 4, 2014

Snow day!  Today was a good old fashioned cold winter day... the kind I left behind in Minnesota?  Not so it seems.  It's beautiful, and I actually like that I get to paint it.  But it has put the chill in my bones, that's for sure.  Knowing it was likely to be snowing all day today, before I went out on location this morning, I made a stop at Home Depot.  I had an idea that if I found the right ingredients, I could rig a shelter that used my raised tail gate as a support.  With about $35.00 in materials in hand, I rigged up a very useable wind/sun/snow break as you can see in the photos.

It was hard to keep the fingers warm, and that's with glove liners, Atlas Nitrile palmed gloves, and fingerless mittens on.  On top of that, the paint was mixing with the snow most of the day, creating a very weird, granular mix.  It was nearly impossible to stick a brush into the paint and get any on the brush.  So, I painted most of these paintings today with a palette knife or two.  It was simply the easiest way to get paint on the panel.  I found that I enjoyed using the knife.  Only occasionally did I use a brush on the last three of the day.  

I had planned to go back to the same locations that I painted yesterday, and paint them again today with the snow falling.  That didn't work, except for the first one of the day, because the distance was obliterated by the falling snow.  None of the foothills or mountains that painted yesterday, were in view today.  Instead, I wandered the back roads close to my home, where there is always something of interest to paint.  

I saw a bunch of beautiful coyotes today.  Such an amazing animal, hardy and always an opportunist.  

I hope you enjoy the limited palette of a snowy day...

2-4-1 "Rabbit Mtn Redux" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-4-2 "55th St Flurries" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

SOLD

2-4-3 "Snow Day" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-4-4 "Frozen Road" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

SOLD

February 3, 2014

This morning was clear and cold!  Sunny, but it caught me by surprise.  I came about as close as I have in a long time, to freezing some toes and fingers.  When I started out, it was about +5ºF.  Fortunately as the day went on, it was a little bit warmer.  Word has it that the next few days are to be snowy and even colder...

I painted some local hills today because I could finally see them.  The first painting is of Rabbit Mountain Open Space, between Lyons and Longmont.  I've been told that it used to be called Rattle Snake Mountain, but it wasn't a good public image so the name was changed.

From there I went to a local 'wide' view spot, at the end of runway 29'er, where there is a large viewing parking lot for those of us who are airplane nuts.  Since there's no obstructions to the approach and landings, it provides a great view all the way west to the foothills.

Keeping in the same frame of thinking, I drove to Lagerman Reservoir, another Open Space area.  This also has a wonderful, unobstructed view all the way to the mountains.  Nice to be out there, so I painted the last two pieces for the day there.  The last one had a little bit of Rabbit Mountain in it again, hence the title.

On the way out I was pleasantly surprised to see 6 bald eagles on the ice.

Tomorrow should be interesting...

2-3-1 "Rabbit Mountain" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

SOLD

2-3-2 "Twin Sisters" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-3-3 "Lagerman View" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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2-3-4 "Rabbit Brush" - oil - 8x10

©Marc R. Hanson 2014

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February 2, 2014

Sun at last!  What  a gorgeous day it was today.  The sun and new, dry snow, was refracting spectacular color all day long.  The warmth of the sun didn't hurt either.  The morning started out very overcast, but by the time breakfast was over, it was burning through and warming the landscape.  All day long the Front Range was barely visible, there is so much moisture in the air.  I'm not sure what's in store for tomorrow... it doesn't really matter... but I sure did like the sunshine today.

These photos are the best I am able to do at the time of night, with the lack of good light, that I have to work with.  They are approximations to what the original color is.

2-2-1 "Lemon Sun" - oil - 8x10 

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

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2-2-2 "White Faces" - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

SOLD

2-2-3 "Crane Hollow Tree" - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

SOLD

2-2-4 "Grouping" - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

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February 1, 2014

So it begins... and not with a bang... but with the steady, soft sound of falling Colorado powder!  It snowed all day long, beautiful to see and be in the middle of.  But the build up of snow flakes on the palette is annoying.  Temps were pretty mild.  I started around 8:00 this morning, had two in the box by about 11:30, then went to lunch.  Mainly to warm up the toes and fingers.  It was a tough day to find color, it was so subtle.  The beauty of that isn't lost on me, but I am looking forward to the forecast sunshine tomorrow!  

2-1-1 'Rabbit Shelter' - oil - 8x10 

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

SOLD

I didn't leave the property I live on to paint today.  There is plenty here, beginning with this side road and the base of the old cottonwood that is on it's edge.  I did like the soft, muted violets, blue-greens and pinks that I was seeing in the fresh snow.  I flushed a rabbit walking out here, hence the title.  

2-1-2 'The Path to My Studio' - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

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For the second one of the day, I was walking around and decided it would be a good exercise to try painting the warm, barn red of my studio, filtered by the falling snow.  The shifts in color on the snow were very subtle.  To have something to paint, I played them up slightly.  

2-1-3 'Flurries All Day' - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

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After lunch I stepped out of my van in the garage, walked around behind it to see this view out towards St Vrain Rd... it's out there somewhere, buried by fresh powder today.  Can I just say, it's not fair that I'm doing this when all of this fresh powder is sitting on the side of the mountains, waiting for my skis?  The things painters give up to do this! 

2-1-4 'Grays' - oil - 8x10

©2014 Marc R. Hanson

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This was the least interesting color of the day, nearly monochromatic.  But it was a most interesting time to be painting, judging by the interest shown.  I was standing out by St Vrain Rd, thinking that there wouldn't be anyone around.  It was non stop traffic, I was feeling a little too close to the edge with it all.  Interesting, some guy drives by, comes to a stop, backs up on the opposite side of the road and gets out and starts taking photos of me with a big lens???  Then he tells me he just spent about 4 hours up on Highway 36 where there is an elk that has met it's demise.  Seems every predator and scavenger in the country side is there feeding on it, and he was shooting them with his camera.  He said he saw red fox, bald eagles, coyotes, and various crows, jays and other birds on it.  That's about 2 miles from me... I kept on painting. 

A LEAP INTO FEBRUARY!

A Leap Into February...

I'm 5 days away from beginning this 28 day painting marathon. February 1st, at some early and unknown hour, I'll be venturing outside to paint the first of four paintings for the day.  I'm ready, having secured all of the supplies needed, toned some of the panels, and taken care of most of the household obligations that might otherwise interrupt my progress during the month. My fingers are crossed that no 'anti-art antagonizer' rears it's merciless head, to toss a broken brush at me!  

'The Softer Side' 

©2014 Marc R. Hanson - pastel - 6"x8" a recent study

Here's how this will all happen for anyone who wants to follow it along.  Each day I'll paint four 8"x10" oil paintings outside, photograph them, write up a short comment on each, then post to my blog... then sleep... then get up and do it again... for 28 days. 

Every evening the paintings will be photographed and posted here on my blog, and on my Daily Paint Works gallery page.  

If you are interested in purchasing a painting, there will be a... 'To purchase click here'... link underneath each painting, that will redirect you to the painting on Daily Paint Works.  The paintings may be purchased there using the PayPal service.  They will be available for sale, unframed, as they are posted.  I will keep the paintings until they are dry, and until I have had the show mentioned below.  Once the show is over I will ship any sold paintings, approximately the second or third week of March.  They'll be shipped and insured via USPS Priority Mail.  

The big news for me is that the Longmont Council For The Arts and the Muse Gallery, have generously agreed to let me put all 112 paintings on display for two days.  I am very grateful to the LCA for the opportunity to show my interpretations of the month in paint in its entirety.  I've completed three of these painting marathons and have not been able to show them all together before.  

The paintings will be on display Friday, March 7th- 6:00pm - 8:00pm, and Saturday, March 8th - 10:00am - 4:00pm at the Muse Gallery- 356 Main St - Longmont, CO. - 303.678.7869 

For those artists interested, here's the break down of the materials and supplies I'll be painting with.  

MATERIALS

PALETTE COLORS-
Cadmium yellow light (M Graham)  
Cadmium yellow deep (Rembrandt)
Yellow ochre (M Graham)
Cadmium orange (W&N)
Cadmium red light (M Graham)
Venetian red (W&N)
Transparent oxide red (Rembrandt)
Alizarin crimson (M Graham)n. 
Ultramarine blue (M Graham)
Viridian (W&N)
Greenish umber (Utrecht)
My white is Utrecht Titanium white mixed 50/50 with W&N's Griffon Alkyd Titanium white. The Utrecht titanium white has a favorable consistency and in colder weather doesn't stiffen up like some other titanium whites do. The alkyd sets the paint up fast, allowing me to employ the technique of painting with thick paint over thinly painted washes in the small window of time I have on each painting.  

PAINTING SUPPORT-
8"x10" Centurion OP DLX  (oil primed) linen panels, that I purchased and then toned either a warm neutral or a cooler neutral. I left about a third of the panels white, giving me a choice, depending on what I feel each painting needs at the time. 

FIELD EASEL-
12x16 Open Box M and a Manfrotto tripod.  

BRUSHES-
Robert Simmons hog bristle flats, brights and a few rounds in sizes ranging from no.4 to no.12.  I also have some cheap, off the shelf hardware store brushes (1/2"-2") that I find useful.  Lastly, my indispensable arsenal of small, medium and large palette knives. 

MISCELLANEOUS-

To further expedite drying, and because I like using it, I will be using Winsor & Newton's 'Drying Linseed Oil' as a medium.  

My solvent of choice is Mona Lisa (completely) Odorless Mineral Spirits ( a Speedball Product).  And I use cotton t-shirts and rags, instead do paper towels, to wipe down areas on paintings and to wipe my brushes with.

I want to thank you ahead of time for checking in, and any conversation about the marathon.  With the time that I'll be putting in painting and the rest, please excuse me if I am not able to reply to your comments immediately.  These will be long days, but long days that I am eagerly anticipating.

Happy February!  

Some more recent small pastel studies...

'Complimentary Tree'

©2014 Marc R. Hanson - pastel - 6"x6"

'Southern Colorado'

©2014 Marc R. Hanson - pastel - 6"x8"

'The Last Of Winter'

©2014 Marc R. Hanson - pastel - 6"x8"

Painting With Friends - 1/20 & 1/21.

Last week my friend and fellow artist, Barbara Jaenicke, was in town from Atlanta, GA.  In between some family time up in the mountains, and a workshop she was teaching at the Terry Ludwig studio in Littleton, CO, she had a few days to do some painting.  On Monday Barbara, Stacey Peterson of Evergreen, Dave Santillanes of Ft Collins, and yours truly, spent a couple of hours in the afternoon near Longmont, painting.  The painting, "Snow Slope" is my effort for that day.

The next morning our group expanded to include artist friends, Ani Espriella and Lamya Deeb, both of Gunbarrel, Scott Ruthven of Ft Collins, and Dave Santillanes, and we all met up in Rocky Mountain National Park.  As is typical in the winter in the park, the winds were up, way up with gusts approaching 50mph!  We stuck it out, sort of, with some of us inside vehicles, others braced on the leeward side of vehicles as windbreaks.  One painting each is all that we could manage in the conditions.  The painting, "Wind In The Aspens" is the result from the morning.

"Snow Slope" 

Oil on linen - 8x10 ©2014 Marc R. Hanson

SOLD

"Wind In The Aspens"

Oil on linen - 8x10 ©2014 Marc R. Hanson

SOLD